


As Close As A Fusion

by orodanca



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Crystal Gems, F/M, Origin Story, Steven Universe AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-16 21:50:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5842228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orodanca/pseuds/orodanca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a simple girl with a normal life. Until it isn't.<br/>When a certain event happens at her school, she finds out that her life might not be normal anymore. She might have to start considering her strengths, her responsibilities and powers in order to be able to defeat the evil Hawkmoth, as the new gem of Paris.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mom, What Is A Fusion?

The first time Marinette found out about fusion, she couldn’t help but get all giddy at the thought there was this possibility to unite with another gem to work together.

“Mama, what is a fusion?” she asked with an innocent smile.

“Well, _ma petite coccinelle,_ it’s when two gems unite into one. They use their combined strength and size to do things they wouldn’t be able as a normal gem.”

“Can I do it too?” she said with a grin.

“Well, if you were a gem, then yes.”

Marinette’s grin became a frown. “You mean… I’m not a gem?”

“Well, did you see any piece of a gemstone inside your body? I’m pretty sure I didn’t see that, and I saw you naked lots of times” her mother replied and couldn’t help but laugh at what she just said.

“MAMAAAAAN!” Marinette cried and then joined in the laughter.

The night after that, Marinette could only think about fusion. She was only ten, but who cared about that, she wanted to fuse. She wanted to feel the deep connection, something she wouldn’t feel as a normal human. But who would you consider appropriate to fuse with? It seemed like something really intimate. Acquaintances? Friends? Best friends? Sleep was occupying her mind more and more and so, as she drifted to sleep and dreams started running wild in her subconscious, she found it was absolutely normal for her to dream only about fusing.

* * *

 She was thirteen. She went to school. She was late again. She excused herself for being late. Everything was absolutely normal. Until it wasn’t. She suddenly felt warmth burning her skin. Marinette knew what this was. An explosion. This was really weird. _Do schools just have random explosions? This isn’t like a big explosion. This looks like a controlled explosion. Oh, look, a bird is flying._ These thoughts shot through her head as she got closer and closer to unconsciousness. She fell, face down, and suddenly drifted into a deep sleep.

People were scared, Marinette was dreaming about gems. Everybody was scared why was Marinette the only one bleeding, and first and foremost, why was she bleeding anyway? Her back was covered in blood. This wasn’t normal. Everybody else was completely normal, nobody was injured except Marinette. What had just happened? Was she the target of an attack? But why her? She was only thirteen, what kind of enemies could she make for herself at that age (besides the annoying Chloe Bourgeois)?

All those questions were to be answered later, after Marinette got safely to the hospital, her parents desperate to see their daughter alive and well. And she was. The doctors were confused. She had a massive loss of blood, yet she was just fine. She was like new, even. Nothing, not a sign of injury.

Marinette finally woke up after a while. She felt dizzy, yet fresh. There was a weird mix of feelings. Like she was exhausted, yet at the same time, energized. Dead and alive. She saw her parents for only a few seconds, enough to call out their names until she drifted again into a long sleep.

Three days later, she woke up again. No sign of weird feelings anymore. Her parents were so joyous. So relieved. Their daughter woke up and was well. She was healthy, she was there. Everything was going to be fine. They finally were able to do her check out a day after. Marinette was home again.

* * *

 “Come on, Alya, it’s itching me really bad, but I feel like it’s burning me every time I get near it, can you please just check it out?” Marinette asked with a deep sigh after.

“Alright, let me just set your mane apart” her friend joked and moved around to sit behind the black-haired girl.

“So, what do you see? Did a bee sting me? Or a spider? Am I turning into Spider-Man?” she laughed.

Alya didn’t reply. She was shocked by what she saw. The pulsing light scared her. “Um… Marinette… Remember that explosion last year?”

“Of course, I mean, I was in a coma for like three days, but I know it happened. What about it? DID I ACTUALLY TURN INTO SPIDER-MAN?” she asked excitedly.

“Nope, but you did transform into something. I’m not sure what exactly.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN?” Marinette shouted frantically.

“Um, take a look” Alya responded, taking a photo and placing her phone in her friend’s hands.

Marinette looked at the screen and couldn’t believe her eyes. A gem. A gem was just… there. Deep inside her skin, an actual gem. It integrated so well into her body that the skin was now somehow protecting it.

“It’s so… pink” was the only thing she could say.

“Oh, God, girl, you’ve just discovered you’re a gem now and the only thing you say is that it’s pink.”

“Well, it suits me” Marinette said with a smirk.

Alya couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She took her phone back and the sound of typing soon resonated in the room.

“What are you doing, Alya?”

“Researching your gem. Trying to find out what you are now.”

“Alya, you are acting like I’m the world’s biggest curiosity. You know other gems, why are you scared?”

“No, dumby, I am trying to find out what powers might you have. The itch isn’t accidental. It must be something” her friend replied quickly. After a few moments of silence, she said out loud: “There are two possibilities. Rose Quartz or Morganite. Check them out.”

Marinette took Alya’s phone in her hands again and looked at the screen. “Morganite. I am a Morganite.”

“How do you know?” Alya asked.

“It speaks to me. This is my name. This is my name now.”

“Woah, girl, you’re still Marinette. You just… well, you’re just a gem now.”

“Does that mean that I won’t grow up anymore? Or that I will live forever?”

“I actually don’t know, but I really hope you do not” the red-haired replied with a stern look.

“Why? Can you just imagine? Always young, living forever.”

“You won’t live anymore when Earth will be burned by the Sun. Nothing will. And I really hope you do not. I’d rather mourn you than have you mourn everyone on this world.”

At these last words, Marinette froze. She didn’t even think about this. If she was a gem, did that mean that she’d have to live through the deaths of everyone she would become attached to? The thought only frightened her. It almost brought her to tears.

“Shhh, Marinette, calm down, I’m here, I won’t die any time soon. Chill, girl, we’ll find out more about this. But for now we need to tell your parents.”

“Are you crazy, Alya? No, they would start restricting me contact with everyone.”

“Yeah, true, not a good idea. Maybe not have it act around them?”

“And how much do you think that will hold?”

“Not much, but let’s try for now, we can’t do anything else about it. Look, just, you can wear your pigtails, but just try and cover it somehow. Foundation? Something? It’s not that bad, I mean it’s pink, it could be confused as something else. It’s not big as well. Do you think this is a full gem or just like a gem in making? Or maybe a shard? Do you think shards can act as well as normal gems?”

Marinette replied softly. “I have no idea. But I hope it does. I want to fuse.”

Alya was left speechless. “Are you still obsessing over fusion? You have been for four years already!”

“But just think about it, Alya! I would be able to feel it, to feel connected with someone I trusted on a whole ‘nother level.”

“Girl, you got it bad about this fusion thing. I, in the name of your mother, regret that she told you about it.”

* * *

“So, want to take a break?” Marinette asked Alya. They have been working for 2 hours already on their Physics project and a time-out was welcomed.

“Ah, sure. What you wanna do?”

“Thought I’d play you this new song I found yesterday. Do you mind if I do that?”

“No, go ahead girl.”

Marinette opened Chrome and searched for that song. She clicked on the first link and let the music start. The song was quite catchy, it was a remix, sure, but the song itself was a fun, upbeat tune. Alya caught its pace quickly and soon started tapping her foot to it. Marinette giggled and stood up from her chair.

“Spontaneous party, Alya!” she said loudly and started dancing however she could to the song. Soon, Alya joined in and they laughed together as they tried to do their best moves to the new tune.

Suddenly, Marinette took Alya to do some turns and pirouettes under her arms, catching her hand. Alya followed her friend and then switched so Marinette would do the same. While Alya was more the fun type in doing pirouettes, Marinette was the elegant one, precise and gracious. But, clumsy as she was, the black-haired girl suddenly tripped into a bit and got really close to Alya. She couldn’t help but laugh and took Marinette into a hug, still dancing to the beat. Marinette followed her, and their laughter filled the room. Until, it was just one voice laughing.

The sudden beam of light disappeared and there was left only a single form dancing to the beat happily. The song stopped and she stopped as well. And then looked down. And up. And down. And she cried out. And up. And she cried out. And down.

“WHAT JUST HAPPENED?” the girl shouted, scared for her life. Suddenly, there were two bodies again, lying on the floor like they were just shot dead. After some silence, with wide eyes, her friend decided to speak:

“Marinette… What just happened, _really_?”

“We… we… f- _fused_ , Alya.”

“Is it possible?”

“Yes. I am half human after all, and half gem now. So, yes, I can. You know Steven. He can. So… yeah, it’s possible.”

“Did we just do it?”

“Yep, Alya, we did…”

“Marinette…”

“Alya… I just fused. For the first time.” The realization sunk in deeply into Marinette’s mind.

“Yeah… Are you happy?” her friend replied softly, almost afraid of asking the question.

Marinette waited a few seconds, just to process the question and her feelings at the same time. “Yeah” she finally responded.

“So… How do you feel, exactly?”

“I feel happy, confused, scared, and yet content.”

“Are you happy it was me who you first fused with?”

Marinette suddenly turned to her friend and shot her a puzzled look. “Alya, are you kidding me right now? I am so glad it was you who I first fused with. You are my best friend since forever. I trust you more than anyone. I love you and I trust you and that’s the most important thing in fusion. Fusion is about being together with a person you trust and love, to work together as one, whatever your relationship with each other might be. So of course I am happy. Did you think I wanted to wait for a Prince Charming to do this first fusion with? Did you think I wanted to do this only if the other person was my lover? Alya, if you did, I’ll really get upset.”

Alya looked the other way, unsure. “I actually did.”

“Alya…”

“I mean, you talked about this fusion thing like it was the most important thing in your life, and like it was the most special event that could happen to you. I wanted it to be with someone special, because you made it sound like it was meant only for people who had a really deep connection with each other, with deep affection for each other.”

“And don’t we have a deep connection with each other?”

“Well, yeah, but you made it sound like you were keeping yourself for a potential boyfriend for this fusion.”

“No, I am happy that it was you. It’s hard to have so much trust into another person than you, Alya.” Marinette moved closer to her friend and took her hands into hers. “Look at me, Alya. You were my first fusion. And I am the happiest person in the world because I was able to do it with you. Alright?”

Alya nodded and a smile appeared in the corner of her lips.

“Good. Now, may I ask for one more dance?”

“You want to fuse again?” Alya asked with a desperate voice.

“Well, why not? We unfused really quickly, so why not try again and see how it actually feels?” she replied with a large smile.

“Alright. If it’s okay for you, it’s alright for me as well.”

Marinette moved up and went again to the computer. She typed in quickly another title and walked back to her friend. “Shall we?” she said giggling, offering her hand to Alya.

“Sure” she said with a smirk and took Marinette’s hand. They waited a little to get the song’s rhythm and soon they started dancing to it, each in their own way at first and finally synchronizing. Marinette danced away from Alya as soon as she released her hand from her grip, and as the song continued, Marinette spinned back into Alya, gripping her tight, arms embracing her completely, and suddenly she felt how she was not alone anymore. She was part of something. Not alone, but connected. Two minds working together, thinking everything together. She opened her eyes and watched down. Yes, only one pair of legs and no other in this room. She really did it, she fusioned.

_How’s it going, Mari? Nice, isn’t it? she suddenly heard Alya’s voice in her head._

_We can hear our thoughts, Alya? Without talking! Alya, this is AMAZING!_ she thought.

She took some steps to her mirror and finally looked at herself. Red hair, but with black tips. A single tail in the back of her head, but only half of her hair tied, the rest was just curls being let loose. She saw her skin was a darker shade, the perfect mix between their tones. She had Alya’s mole. Around her eyes, like painted, was the suggestion of Alya’s glasses. But it was like it was made of glitter. _So Marinette_. Marinette’s shirt with a little of the colors changed so it could match Alya’s plaid. A simple pair of jeans and a pair of sneakers. That was like you combined perfectly Alya and Marinette. Exactly a half of her and a half of Alya.

_Damn, it feels nice, am I right, girl?_

_Yes, you are. It is so nice. It’s beautiful. And just look at us. Don’t we look like we were mixed perfectly?_

_Maybe it’s because of your gem. Since we are human, me more than you now, and she could hear Alya giggle out loud this time, her laughter coming from the fusion’s lips, it might influence so it would exactly like our baby._

_ALYA!_ Marinette thought and regretted that her friend wasn’t near her to punch her arm.

_Okay, so, now what do we do?_

_Well, I think since we’re a fusion of a human and a half-gem, our weapon would be the same as mine. But do you know I don’t know what my weapon is yet?_

_No, I didn’t. Which reminds me, what was with that scratch when you first found out about it?_

_It was my gem activating its healing powers. Apparently, I have that. I discovered it a week ago. I wasn’t sure, to be honest. But I cut myself as I was working and I healed in minutes. It was just gone. Dissappeared. Like nothing was there._

_In MINUTES? Girl, you are crazy for not believing it from the start. So this means you can heal yourself, but it still takes some time to do it, it’s not instant. Good to know._

_Yeah, I like this. Does this mean I won’t die then?_

_Marinette, I don’t have any kind of idea about this. I mean, if you were to get…_

_What? Alya? What is it?_

_Nevermind, let’s not think about it for now. But this makes me curious, do you think you might be able to heal other people as well?_

_I actually have no idea, I might try, but you can’t just create cuts or bruises for the strict use of testing some skills that might be nonexistent, Alya._

_Yeah, you’re right._

_Let’s not think about this, let’s just admire ourselves. Well, myself, yourself? How do we exactly establish this?_

_No idea, but look up, sunshine, ‘cause we looking fiiiiiine._

She finally looked up again and into the mirror. Well, Alya is right. They look beautiful. They look like a perfect mix.

“So what do you think we should call ourselves? Hmm… I’m thinking Marya. Or Alinette. Well, they both sound kinda terrible, but we have to choose one. I mean, we’re not a gem fusion, ‘cause then it would be easily determined what we are. So, let’s stick with… Marya. That actually sounds like Marie. So, if we ever go out in the world like this we can say that our name is Marie and everybody would believe us. Of course, they would think why is there a giant woman before me, but we’ll just ignore it by saying we had a violent growing spurt when we were 16. Right?” She said all these out loud and couldn’t help but laugh at her own words.

_Well, Alya, this is us, Marya._

_Yeah, this is us._

* * *

She was almost fifteen. She was in high school. Alya was still her best friend and still her deskmate as well. Marinette already had a fashion icon, Gabriel Agreste, and she liked his boy a lot. He really looked nice. She was almost fifteen and somewhat normal, considering she had a gem in the back of her neck, conveniently covered by skin so it couldn’t be seen unless you were _really_ close to it. Everything was normal. Until it wasn’t. Again.

Marinette was leaving the school when she suddenly felt her gem shine. How did she knew it was shining? It was emanating some heat. And that was felt into her skin. It wasn’t painful, nor was it bothering her, but she knew it was _there_.

She ran to her home as quickly as she could, not wanting something to happen (“gem stuff”) and be seen in public in that kind of situation.

“Hi Maman, hi Papa!” she said quickly as she ran upstairs.

“Hi, Marinette!” her mother replied. Turning to Tom, she shot a curious glance. “What is that girl up to?”

“Maybe she forgot she had to do something. Let her be, don’t worry, she’s fine” Tom replied with a smile and kissed his wife on her head.

Soon, Marinette was sitting on her bed reflecting what was happening right then and why was the gem beaming with light? Her possible answers were just rushing through her thoughts and she couldn’t catch even one.

Suddenly, the girl saw something moving on her desk. There was a box she had not seen before, shaking slightly, but still, moving without any kind of motive. Besides, there was a note: _From a secret admirer, to the young, beautiful and special Ladybug._ Ladybug? What was that supposed to mean? Her name was Marinette, she was sure. Yet, she couldn’t help but open the box. Inside was a pair of beautiful, black with a silver band of earings. She felt like she was drawn to them, she had to put them in her ears. And she did.

The moment both of those earings were clipped into her ears, she could feel the gem heating up, and the earings as well. A sudden beam of light blinded her for a few seconds, and when she opened her eyes again, her hands were holding something. Did they just move instinctively like that or what? But more important, what was in her hands? The thing looked like she was waking up from a sleep. She felt that she needed to let her rest, yet she just kept her in her hands and watched her wake up from her slumber.

“Mmm…” a cute voice said. “Mari… Marinette?”

“You … know my name, whydoyouknowmynamewhatareyouwhyamIholdingyouWHAT IS HAPPENING?” she said quickly.

“Shh… Marinette, don’t let other people hear you. I’ll explain everything to you.”

Marinette’s eyes widened and she stopped talking.

“My name is Tikki. I am a kwami. A kwami is a spiritual being who is the possesor of certain powers and is represting a certain aspect of life and fauna. I am the Ladybug kwami, which means that I am representing the ladybugs and good luck. Those earrings which you’re wearing are my Miraculous. A Miraculous is a piece of jewelry in which I can integrate to give a person my powers. My biggest power is the Lucky Charm, which grants you an item to use for solving a problem. With your Lucky Vision, you can see exactly how you can use the item granted in the solution. The moment I enter into that Miraculous, I change your outfit completely, giving you a suit representing exactly a Ladybug. I also give you a Ladybug Yo-Yo, which you can use as a weapon, tracker and a communicating system. Don’t worry, the string which it uses is unbreakable and infinite in length, so you won’t have any kind of problem with it. Are you following me, Marinette?” the kwami suddenly stopped.

“Yes! Yes, I am, it’s a lot to process but I am. How come you know my name?” the girl replied.

“You are chosen. Each Miraculous holder is chosen before. If they are a gem, it’s fine, they can just start being a Miraculous instantly, but if they’re not, they’ll need to have a gem inserted to integrate into the body of the Miraculous holder and merge with their entire beings so my powers can be activated.”

“Wait, wait wait. You mean…” she stopped for a second to think and the continued, “two years ago there was an explosion at my school. Nothing big happened to my colleagues, yet to me, it was awful. It made me loose an awful lot of blood, I was in a coma for a few days and yet the doctors were impressed because I was completely healthy and fine, although I had lost a lot of blood. Do you want to say that that explosion happened on purpose?”

“Yes, Marinette, you had to be made a gem. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to fulfill your duties. That explosion was controlled by a gem that lives in Paris. That gem is in constant check with us, the kwamis. She moves wherever we have to move. Although we might be in our slumber, because we were not given to the Miraculous holder yet, she knows how to communicate with us and she is able to identify the next chosen Miraculous. That’s how she knew that you were the one chosen. She found out you weren’t a gem, and so she planned that explosion so she could be able to implant that gem into you. She needed a bruise big enough to cover the gem, so I don’t know how else she could do. One way or another, she still had to cut open a bruise inside you. I know your name the moment you are chosen. And so I just wait until she gets me to the next holder. I sleep inside the earings and the moment I get to my next holder and I sense his gem, I get out and wake up. My powers only work if there is a connection made between a gem and my Miraculous. Otherwise, it can’t work.”

Marinette stared at the small pink figure and waited for every word to process. _So, now I’m a gem. Because I have to be a … **hero**? I have to be a Ladybug. I can’t just not accept it, I was chosen. And someone had to make me bleed to what would have normally caused my death, just to put a gem so this little thing could enter it. Now that’s a crazy you wouldn’t want to share. Or would you?_

“So, now I have to be Ladybug. What does that mean?”

“Well, you see, Marinette” the kwami started, “that means you have to fight against akumas and capture them.”

“What is an akuma?”

“An akuma is a butterfly possesed by evil.”

“Alright… And what does it do?”

“It goes after the people who feel sad, who are angry. In general, people who have negative feelings. It posseses a certain thing they own and which is dear to them, and then affects their entire being. It turns them into an evil person, wanting to do bad based on what they were hurt about.”

“But how do these akumas appear?” Marinette asked curiously.

“Well, that’s what you have to fight. Who you have to fight. His name is Hawkmoth. He’s a gem that kept regenerating over the years. This time, he regenerated here, in Paris, and he plans on doing the same he has known for years. He’s after the Miraculous, you know?”

“WHAT?” the girl shouted.

“He wants to take all the Miraculous and become the ultimate Miraculous holder. It’s dangerous. Miraculous holders are supposed to have only one Miraculous, after all, and they aren’t supposed to last forever as Miraculous. But he wants just the opposite of it.”

“So you’re saying he is actually now trying to capture me?” Marinette became distressed.

“Well, yeah, but he’s never going out to attack himself. He’s always sending the akumas. That’s why, I think, he hasn’t succeeded after thousands of years.”

“So am I safe or not?”

“Well, he won’t try to seek out who you are. Unless you are careful about it. I mean, he will use your true identity to his advantage if you aren’t careful where you transform and you let too many people know it. I actually recommend you don’t tell anyone who you are. It might be dangerous.”

“I understand” Marinette replied with a nod and walked to her bed to sit down. Tikki flew after her and hovered over her head.

“Are you okay, Marinette?” Tikki asked.

“Yes… It’s just a lot. First discover you are a gem a year ago, and now find out that I’m a gem to be a hero actually, and that although gems don’t usually die, I might anyway because of people who want to destroy me. It’s… nice” she replied with a sarcastic look.

“Look, Marinette, I understand what is happening in your mind right now. It’s a lot of responsibility out of the sudden and it’s not something a usual teenager would want in their life. But the moment you were born, you were kind of destined for this.” “I understand…” Marinette replied softly.

Tikki looked at her with a sort of pity in her eyes. Her new holder was so young. She shouldn’t have been chosen. She’s so young, so much of her life is in front of her, yet she would be put to so much effort and danger. Oh, poor Marinette. The kwami flew down and rested next to Marinette’s cheek, embracing it with her little hands. Marinette couldn’t help but smile gently at the beautiful gesture. She understood what this meant. The kwami was actually worried about her. She had enough reasons to do that. She had the possibility to die earlier than she should. And in battle. Which, if you thought about it, was partially good. That meant she would be seen as a kind of martyr. Hero. Pride was felt in her chest. And yet, she still had to process a lot of what she was going to do next.

She had to accept this. She had to learn. She wasn’t the one to give up easily. She had to try and do whatever the kwami taught her and the akumas made her do. She had to be Ladybug, had to fight. This was an honour brought to her kwami. She didn’t know why but she already felt attached to Tikki. Maybe it was the gem’s fault. Or maybe she just instantly befriended her kwami. Whatever it was, she somehow felt that everything would be fine while Tikki was beside her. She wasn’t completely ready to accept her new role, but she was ready to learn.

“Tikki, when do I start?”


	2. So, Now That Mom's Gone...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is struck down by the worst news in his entire life. And by something else. And this is how he finds out something more special might happen in his life.

Adrien felt raw. Who cared he was the son of one of the biggest designers in the world? Who cared he had every material thing he would ever want? His mother had just disappeared. His mother… had just… disappeared. Gone. Who knows what happened to her? Did she die? Did she just run away from them? What had just happened, he didn’t know. But five days ago, he was a happy kid, enjoying the comfort of a beautiful and functional family. Sure, his father was busy almost all the time, but although his schedule was a kind of hell, he still made sure to have even five minutes for his wife and child. And they all felt well. But now, all he could do was watch his father as he was almost breaking down every minute.

Now, the only thing he could feel was despair. He felt torn apart, broken in thousands of pieces. And when he returned from the ceremony he wanted to cry, but he couldn’t. He had been in front of hundreds of people, he couldn’t have just done that. But now he was in his room. Nobody would care. He started to cry out loud, he stomped his feet, started jumping around crying, punched his sofa. Then he went on and started throwing stuff off his counters, violently, with his entire’s body force. He wanted to destroy everything he had. Who cared what he owned, when his mother left them even though she had whatever she wanted? Material stuff weren’t the cure to heartbreak and distance was not a solution.

“Ah… I feel this. Pure despair, heartbreak, la tristesse. He just lost his mother. Such an easy prey for my akuma.” The tall figure called out for a butterfly and the beautiful creature moved into his hand. After a few seconds, the butterfly that had been white was now black, full of fury and ready to posses. “Fly, little Akuma, and posses this poor unfortunate soul!”

* * *

 

“AAAAAAAAAAH!!!” Adrien shouted once again. He felt his lungs burning already. His mouth was dry, and his heart was aching. “Mom… why…”

Without noticing, a little black butterfly came near him. It flew to the bracelet on the gold bracelet on his right hand and tried to morph with it but it couldn’t posses anything. The second it morphed into the bracelet, a sudden spark appeared out of nowhere. And what was a little spark was now a full blown explosion. How weird, an explosion. Hm, this is interesting, I wouldn’t mind dying. But what about my father? His thoughts rushed as the blood loss lead him to unconciousness.

“ _Maman_ …” his faint voice said before he was completely unconcious. All he could see was his mother’s face, and a few tears dropped on his cheeks as he slipped into unconciousness.

“WHAT HAS HAPPENED? ADRIEN?” a voice was heard from afar. Nathalie moved quickly into his room.

“SIR! SIR! GABRIEL! COME IN HERE, THE BOY IS UNCONCIOUS!” she cried out, desperate to keep him alive.

A few moments after steps were heard and a tall blond in dark clothes bursted into the room. Adrien was lying on the floor, Nathalie holding his head. At the sight seen, he began to feel terrified. Then his sight moved around and he saw his son’s right arm was covered in blood.

“Oh no… NATALIE! NATALIE, CALL AN AMBULANCE, NOW! HURRY! I DON’T WANT TO LOSE HIM AS WELL!” Gabriel Agreste shouted, terrified at his own thoughts. “Oh my God… son… Adrien… please stay here with me… please…” he whispered to his boy, holding him as close as he could.

An ambulance soon came and took his boy to the hospital. Gabriel held his left hand the entire time until they got to the Emergency Room. The doctors took him quickly to see and make his bleeding stop. Once they did, they checked to see if there was something inside the wound. Nothing. The boy looked well. His blood had been washed up, and he was all cleaned up and disinfected.

“Mom… Dad?” the faint voice of the blond boy resonated in the hospital room. Gabriel moved to his son and held his head, trying to see him wake up. But he was back into unconsciousness.

* * *

 

One day later, Adrien was awake again. He felt well, he felt like a newborn, so energized. He looked up and saw across him a girl with a massive band aid around her neck, immobilized. Black hair and loose curls. He had to say, she looked beautiful. How tragic she had to be sleeping.

The next time his doctor came to check him, he asked:

“What’s that girl’s name?”

“Marinette.”

“Marinette… A beautiful name. What happened to her?”

“There was an explosion at her school. None of her colleagues were bruised, she was the only victim. Explosion hit her in her back, and made a cut in the back of her neck. She lost a lot of blood. We thought she would be dead already. But she’s surviving, and quite well. We’re now waiting only for her to wake up. Miraculously, she survived and the wound is already healing. Impressive, I have to say.”

“Yeah… truly _miraculous_ …” Adrien replied. _Now that is a story you should say to everyone you meet. Hey, I’m the girl who survived an explosion which cut her neck in half. What a brave girl… Keep fighting there, Marinette._

* * *

 

The day after, he was let to leave the hospital. But before leaving, he had to say goodbye to the girl he watched the day before. He moved to her bed and took a last look at her face. But he felt he couldn’t just leave her like that. He moved slowly to her head and rest a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Keep fighting, little lucky Princess. I hope I’ll see you again.”

* * *

 

He was almost fifteen. He felt absolutely normal again. He finally felt like he wouldn’t break down every second. He was again Adrien. Mostly. Although he had his ups and downs and he would almost break down in the middle of a photoshoot, people were always careful around him and sometimes even thoughtful and caring. Chloe was Chloe, always trying to make up stories about them being together, but he knew it was all just for attention and the press, nothing else. He would just ignore it.

Another tiring photoshoot made him dive into his bed as he got into his room. He let out a sigh as he felt the soft sheets pressed against his skin. He let all his muscles relax, getting tired from having to sit in just one pose for a lot of time. What was with photographers and making their models sit in just one position for minutes just because the light wasn’t right. _I’m so tired of having to sit in a thoughtful position all day. If only I didn’t have to keep my arms up all day._

He couldn’t complain a lot, to be honest. His father was happy, whatever your definition of happy was if you thought about a man who lost his wife and thought that his son might lose an arm a year ago. He knew he pleased his father when he was so obeying, but he had to say, he was sick of spending time outside only when he had photoshoots or when he went to events. He wanted to go out on his own, make actual friends. And he wanted to go to school. He knew if he went to an actual school, he would be able to make friends he wanted, not that he was obliged to. And that was the purpose of this day. It was only one in the afternoon, and luckily, he knew his father was at home. That meant he could totally go and have this conversation with him. So, after those five minutes of relaxing would pass, he would go and talk to his Papa.

When he finally felt his muscles weren’t hurting anymore, he got up and moved to his desk. He thought that writing his arguments was a good thing if he wanted to be sure of getting his father to agree with that idea.

He sat in his chair and before he could take out a pencil and a piece of paper he noticed something that wasn’t there in the morning, when he left for his photoshoot.

“Huh? This is interesting, did Nathalie leave this here?” he asked himself as he took the little black box into his hands. It was so soft and beautiful, delicate. Something usual for his father’s parents. He made sure for them to be beautifully packaged. He looked around and there was no note from his father’s assistant. Interesting, she would normally tell me when I received a present. Or at least leave a note.

He opened the box and inside was a beautiful silver ring. To which there was a little note attached. _Wear it carefully, mon petit chaton_.

“ _Chaton_? _Maman_? Did you leave this here?” he asked the air. He was talking to himself, again, but who would leave a note like that other than his mother? She was the one to call him chaton, only her. Who would pretend to be his mother and hurt him like this? It could only be his mother. Was he being fooled around? No, it couldn’t be possible, it must have been his mother. And she said to wear it. It must have been because that explosion destroyed his bracelet. The bracelet his mother bought when he was only three and couldn’t wear it properly but still kept it and then, when the size fit, wore every single day, everywhere he went. He was reluctant to take it off.

 _Is mom here?_ He left out of his room with the box in his hands, moving around and looking for her. Did she return? So she’s not dead? All those questions raced through his mind as he looked frantically for her. But after looking for almost half an hour for her, he saw no trace of her. He returned to his room, tired and depressed. He had his hopes up again.

His eyes moved to his right wrist where her bracelet used to sit and then to his scar. His right hand was still bruised. Kinda. He knew the scar left by the weirdest explosion he had ever heard of was never going to heal. It would be weird if an explosion would leave no scars on you. What was he, Superman? No, he was no hero, nor a gem, nor any kind of special person.

His left hand still kept the little box. _Okay, let’s just put it on and that’s it. Maybe Nathalie just found it and maybe it was a birthday present from Mom she didn’t get to give to me_. As those thoughts crossed his mind, he slipped the ring on his right ring finger and admired it. For a few seconds, before he felt his right hand’s skin burning.

“If there is ONE MORE EXPLOSION going on in here I will definitely let myself die this time” he cried out loud. His hand was burning and burning and **burning** and he was so not ready for another vacation in the hospital. He gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw. It really hurt how warm it was, but it suddenly went away when a beam of light pierced through the room’s air. His eyes were already closed, so it was just a shift in the intensity of the blackness in his sight.

Once everything was gone, the burn, the ache, the light, he finally opened his eyes, only to see something was waking up on his hand. A little black figure, floating easily above his fingers. He contained a yelp by putting a hand to his mouth but he couldn’t help wondering what exactly was that on his hand.

The figure was now opening its eyes and he was scared to see if it could talk as well.

“Mhmm… Am I at Adrien’s house already?” the floating black figure murmured.

“Wha…” he said almost out of breath. “Who are you?” he asked, talking like he was replying to himself and not having an actual conversation.

“Oh…” the figure said and yawned once before continuing. “Hi, Adrien.”

“Are you my mother?” he said. _Now Father can actually put me into a hospital. I’m crazy, why did I ask this thing if it’s my mother?_

“What? No, no no, your mother’s…” the floating thing almost started but decided to stop. “She’s not here, I’m here, though.”

“Very nice, I have to say that. What are you doing here? And why do you know my name and my mother?” he asked quickly, getting closer to the little black… cat. It was a kind of weird black cat!

“Woah woah, easy there, Adrien. I’ve just woken up from a decade long sleep and you want me to be fresh from the start? Take a seat, please, and then we can start.”

Adrien was reluctant, but the cat was right and so he sat down on his bed. “Alright, now tell me.”

“Well, I didn’t introduce myself, so… My name is Plagg. I am an old kwami. Before you ask what that means, I’ll tell you that a kwami is a spiritual being that is supposed to represent a certain thing in human culture but I won’t get into the actual details, the thing is that this little cat here is representing bad luck and has powers according to it. Since I am representing bad luck, my powers are all about that. As well as my ultimate power, the one with the victory, kinda ironic for a hero whose powers are bad luck…”

“Okay, continue” Adrien said.

“The idea is that I give you this ultimate power, Cataclysm, which gives you the ability to destroy whatever you touch. Kinda appropriate for a hero with bad luck, am I right?” Plagg said with a grin.

Adrien couldn’t help but let a small smirk out. “You’re right, really appropriate.” The blond looked the kwami in the eyes for a little, processing the new information. “So you’re this weird thing that floats around and has the power to destroy things? And how come you didn’t destroy anything for now, like the box the ring was in, or the ring itself. I presume you have come from that ring.”

“Mmm, got myself a smart one” Plagg replied with a smirk. “Yes, I did come from that ring, that ring is a Miraculous. I sleep in it until I find a new chosen Miraculous holder. Well, until I am taken to them.”

“Miraculous holder?” Adrien asked with interest.

“That is what you are now, kid. A Miraculous is a piece of jewelry in which a kwami can integrate into to perform its powers. I get into that ring and morph with it, also morphing with your gem and giving you the powers I talked about, and new clothes and-“ Plagg got interrupted.

“WAIT A MINUTE. GEM? What gem?” Adrien asked with a desperate voice. “I AM NOT A GEM, Plagg, I am a human.”

“That can’t be true, I got to this house she wouldn’t have brought me here if you weren’t a gem, she had to make sure you were a gem to bring me here.”

“She? Who’s she? And what does that have to do with gems? Gems are extraterrestrial people. I am a human, Plagg.”

“Weeeeeell… Your right hand doesn’t say that” the kwami replied with a smirk. “It does looks pretty green to me.”

“Green? It’s not green, there’s a scar there, what are you talking abou-“ Adrien wanted to continue until he saw that his scarred skin had a small circle broken apart in it in which you could see the top of a green gem. “This wasn’t here before…” Adrien whispered to himself, when he turned to the kwami who was laughing harder than he ever heard someone laugh.

“Oh, kid, you’re making me laugh. You want to say you did not observe the gem growing? Oh, man, she was really discrete with you. I mean, it does make sense.”

“What makes sense? Plagg, don’t talk with half of the words you need. Say everything.”

“Alright, kid. There’s this gem that takes care of the Miraculous. She’s the Treasure Box. She keeps them all together and delivers them to the future Miraculous holders the moment we call for them. She sees who we choose as our new host, and she checks if the person is a gem or not. If we’re lucky and they’re already a gem, the Miraculous can be delivered instantly. If not, she has to implant a gem into the holder. The only way she can do that without people seeing it is by making little controlled explosions. The science is weird, since it’s magic, but the idea is that she gives the persons, or places around the persons, something that she knows will hit the person in a certain place, but she would make sure for the explosion to not hit anybody else. It’s just enough so it could make a sort of open bruise, even just a little, so the gem can get inside your body. The idea is that even the smallest bruise is created by a controlled explosion so she can come and implant your gem inside and let it evolve inside you, getting used to your body and finally function with it.”

“Wait… So am I not going to die now?” Adrien asked curiously.

“We don’t know. You’re still human, so you still might evolve normally and eventually die. If you get out alive of this, you will find out on your own.”

“GET OUT ALIVE?” Adrien shouted. “What do you mean by that?”

“Calm down, kid. It’s just that now that you’re a hero, you might survive or not the attacks targeted towards you.”

Adrien looked at the kwami with wide eyes and then to the side. He let out a deep sigh, closed his eyes and took another deep breath. “Can you just… take it from the top? Please?” he asked quietly.

Plagg suddenly sighed with a little bit of sadness. “Alright, kid. So. There’s this gem that is called The Treasure Box. She keeps all the left Miraculous of this earth. When a kwami chooses a new holder, she makes sure the Miraculous can form a fusion with the holder. That’s why you need a gem. Our powers only work if we get to fuse with a gem. And so, if you’re not a gem, she creates a controlled explosion to give you this place in which she can put that gem. For you, she chose the right hand. I think it’s because it was easy to place something for you there. Did you have a bracelet or something?”

Adrien looked furious now. His bracelet…

“Okay, let’s continue. And so, the moment your gem is fully integrated into your body, she can get the kwami to the holder. The moment the Miraculous holder puts on their Miraculous, the kwami is released out of it – and from its slumber – and is ready for work. The kwami morphs with the Miraculous, the piece of jewelry, and the Miraculous communicates with the gem so I can corrupt it. Because actually, I don’t fuse, I kind of corrupt the gem into thinking it is another gem. But it’s totally safe!”

“Yeah… I have a hard time believing you it’s safe but that’s okay, go on.”

“The moment I corrupt the gem, the fun starts. You get to transform yourself into Chat Noir, an actual black cat with bad luck, a black costume that actually makes you look like your title, a baton which you can use for running around Paris, talking with your partner, tracking people, fighting and most importantly, taking photos!” Plagg finished while snickering.

“Oh for God’s sake, ‘cause that’s the most important thing to do as a hero!” Adrien said as he was laughing. He suddenly stopped. “Wait, am I really a hero?”

“If you do win something, yeah.”

“Alright… So, I have this gem…” Adrien looked skeptically to his hand and then to Plagg.

“It’s a Hiddenite. In case you were wondering. Great choice, good for emotional trauma” Plagg replied.

Adrien shot him a furious look before he continued. “Alright, so do I have to be called like that when I go out or not, can I keep my name?”

“Yes, you can, of course.”

“Alright… Good. So, I’m this gem and I wear this silver ring and I call you and you get inside it and make me into another gem and also another kind of person and I am actually a weird cat hero who has a partner. OH WAIT, I have a partner?”

“Well, yes. Do you think bad luck is going to be left alone without something to make it equal? You have a lucky lady” Plagg said with a small smirk in the corner of his lips.

“Nice, I have to say. So, can I say that I’m done with the tutorial?”

“The what?” Plagg looked with wide eyes towards Adrien.

“Ah…” he sighed. “The training. Can we go on the field now?”

“Yes, we can. You only have to say a phrase.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> Thank you for reading my story! There are already almost 300 hits and I'm quite shocked to be honest. Thank you thank you thank you!  
> Now, I know that the explosion might seem weird but I will explain it in further chapters. These first two chapters were just quick introductions to this Alternate Universe.  
> Just a little announcement: my updates won't be that quick, if they are that's because I had a lot of time. I will only update when I can, I study a lot and have to focus on that in the first place.  
> I hope you'll enjoy this and leave all your questions in the comments. :D


	3. Well, We're Like Ying-Yang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ladybug and Chat Noir discover the freedom of their powers. And a clash happens.

“Just say _Spots On_ and we’re ready” Tikki said with a soft smile.

“Alright. I… Let me sit for a few minutes and we’ll go, alright?”

“Of course” the kwami replied.

Marinette had to take it all in. She was only fourteen and a bit and she had now the responsibility of fighting evil people. People who could hurt her. Kinda. Tikki did say her costume was made out of an indestructible material. But who knew what could happen? Yet she jumped head first into this. Thinking about it twice, you’d have said she was crazy. But she was just a person who wanted to prove she was responsible and kept her promises. If she was chosen, she would act on it, and act accordingly. But now, if she really did know how to do stuff, she would actually be able to save people, maybe even Paris. Be called a hero? That was a lot. But she thought she was ready.

“Tikki, I think I am ready.”

“Alright, Marinette, just say the words!” the kwami replied cheerfully.

“Tikki… SPOTS ON!” Marinette said with excitement and she felt it. Her gem heating up slightly, the kwami disappearing, she felt the light the kwami made because of its fusion. Its corrupting, actually. She felt the gem being corrupted by her kwami and she felt how her body was now light and her mind wanted to take over her limbs. And it did, as she saw her hands moving before her face and she suddenly felt something on her face. Her hand extended itself and she saw her arm being covered in what Tikki described. She spinned one time and she was now covered whole in the weird material. One more turn and her yo-yo appeared – or so she thought. Yes, Tikki told her about that as well. With one final extension and pose, her transformation finished. Although Tikki first described this as a fusion, she knew why it was a corruption actually. If it was a fusion, she could hear her kwami’s voice now in her head. But she was alone in thoughts, but not in mind. She was sure. She felt more confident. She felt like strolling around and showing her confidence off. This was a great feeling.

Marinette walked to her mirror, feeling a deja-vu as she remembered her first fusion with Alya. She finally opened her eyes to look at herself.

There was Marinette, the same old Marinette, with two tails, but with two red ribbons flying from her tails, and a red costume like a second skin, covered in black dots. _Now that’s what I call Ladybug_. She moved her eyes to her hip, expecting a yo-yo. All she could see was a gem.

“A **gem**? Tikki, you corrupted the hell out of this gem, how did you move it?” Unfortunately, she knew she couldn’t hear the response. But she had to say, the gem was really beautiful, and appropriate for her name. A red and black gem beautifully bloomed from her skin on her left hip. _So where is my yo-yo then?_

Ladybug looked around and thought of ways to get her yo-yo but nothing seemed logical. Giving up, she touched the new gem, to see how it felt. But the second she touched the intricate gemstone, it glowed and a yo-yo appeared out of nowhere in her hand.

“Oh! OH! So this is how you get the yo-yo, nice… Really neat.” Ladybug watched it, caressed it curiously. She extended the string. _Pretty tough. Tikki said it was infinite, right?_ And she could slide it? Yes, she could, she realized as she pulled one part and the other showed a screen. _So this is the tracker and this is how I make calls and that stuff. Functional_.

Ladybug climbed the stairs up to her terrace and looked at her yo-yo.

“I think it’s time to visit the Eiffel Tower with other eyes.”

With an extension of the string and a swish, she was on her way.

* * *

 

“Claws Out? That’s it?”

“Yes, that’s it.” Adrien looked a little nervous but excited.

“What happens if I do it now?”

“Nothing other than transforming into Chat Noir.”

“So I can do that now?”

“Of course.”

“You ready?” “I didn’t know I chose such an eager boy” the kwami complained.

“I want to meet my Lady…” Adrien replied with a smirk.

“It was better if I did not mention her to you.”

“Alright, Plagg, done with the complaining? Let’s get down to business.” Plagg could only sigh as he heard Adrien saying the magic words.

“Plagg… _CLAWS OUT_!” The kwami flew into the Miraculous with a final grunt, starting to integrate itself into his gem. Adrien could feel the small heat emanated by his gemstone. _Must be because of the corrupting_ , he thought to himself. And then he felt it, a sort of energy that pushed him to move his fingers across his face, over his hair, with each movement feeling a new item attached to him. His arms extended and his legs as well, and with a final pop heard in the back, he knew his transformation was complete.

“I wonder how I look now” he said with a small smirk as he ran towards the nearest mirror. He stopped on his paws – _wait, I have paws_ – and looked at himself.

“Check **meow** -t. Now that is a sight to be seen, I have to say.” Adrien, no, Chat Noir, said to himself. “Plagg, you should be here, it’s amazing. I look amazing. I love you, it’s **purrfect**. Oh! Hihi…” he started chuckling at his own puns.

The mirror didn’t make him justice. He wore a skin-tight black leather suit, with pockets, a belt and – _is that a tail?_ He had an actual tail, as well as gloves with long fingers, looking like actual claws, and also a pair of cat ears on his hair. And his hair…

“Oh man, I wish I could keep it like that all day.” He hadn’t worn his hair like that in years, since he’d started modelling and had to put product in his hair and keep it as clean as ever. Overall, he looked as natural as Adrien could look, with just a tiny bit of extra black leather. Maybe more than a bit.

“Plagg… Thank you…” he murmured, looking at himself in the mirror for one last time before flying away into the streets of Paris.

“Now let’s go meet our mysterious Lady. But first, where is that baton you were talking about?” He could see his tail, sure, but Plagg said it should have been on his back. He looked around, and turned after his tail, soon getting to the point where he chased his own tail. He suddenly halted, crying:

“THIS IS WHAT DOGS DO!” Chat decided to do a smarter thing. He was before a mirror, so he just turned around and looked over his shoulder. On his back, really near to the belt was a sparkling green gem.

“Oh… Plagg, did you corrupt it that much that I grew another one?” What exactly happened to his gem? Did it just move? His only conclusion was that this kind of magic was weird. With curiosity, his hand moved closer to the gemstone. When he felt it radiating and shining, he felt the need to touch it. With a quick touch, his hand was now holding something slick, a bit wide and circular.

“My baton!” he gasped with excitement. He moved his hand to the front of his body and checked out the new element. It was a silver baton, circular, but cut straight at one end where he could see the green paw sign. Was that where a sort of display was? He tried to slide it out and saw that the display was then on.

“Oh, nice, now let’s see what we can do.” He checked his functions, but for now it was pretty dull. He thought that his Lady must have not been transformed. Did she even receive her Miraculous? Did she take it? Plagg said that she should have been ready by now as well. She should have taken the Miraculous already. But maybe she was busy. Who knew, but he was excited to meet his new partner whenever he had the chance. For now, he was happy with just a simple stroll around Paris.

“Alright then, let’s go!” he said, beaming with excitement as he opened a window and jumped out of his room and into the wild streets.

* * *

 

Ladybug swung her yo-yo as she could, swinging from roof to roof. Her house wasn’t that far away from Tour Eiffel, but she still practiced her swinging skills. She was scared first, so reluctant to even let herself down the rope, but after two tours of the near-by houses she was sure she got a lot better and she let herself have fun. She felt so free flying around, swinging through the houses and enjoying the view. Running on rooftops, jumping off buildings, the adrenaline was rushing through her like she hadn’t even known. She had never felt this before, but she was to make sure she would make up for all those days missed. She decided to finally go where she first wanted, but this time on a place she thought it would be inaccessible for years: the antenna. This time, it would be easy for her: just throw her yo-yo around it, secure it and get up. As simple as that.

With a few more swings she let herself fly towards the Tour. She stopped on the closest building, evaluating her next moves. When she decided on a plan, she threw her yo-yo again, securing it on the nearest tall object.

Somehow, Ladybug didn’t take into consideration the laws of actual _physics_ , and so, she was about to fall from the Tour Eiffel, because of the madness of her move: throwing your yo-yo and then throwing yourself off in full-speed and turning yourself into an actual swing wasn’t a good idea. Sure, she was about to land on the top of the tower, but not in a soft way, like she appreciated.

“HELP, _MON DIEU_!” she cried out loud, as she saw the impact happening in front of her eyes quicker and quicker. Right when she expected to crash, she felt someone throwing themselves in front of her and taking the land. Like a squishy pillow. But who was this person? And what were they doing on the antenna? How did they get here?

* * *

 

Chat Noir felt the air flying through his hair and the freedom in his heart. The speed he gained was incredible, and even more was jumping from roof to roof. He didn’t know how, but it was sort of a natural reaction, like he had already done this before. He knew exactly how to jump, when to use the baton – which he found out it could extend as much as he wanted – when to run, when to fall. It was like this was his every day routine. And he was pretty sure he hadn’t done this before.

His destination, he finally settled, was the Tour Eiffel. He thought it would be the best place to see with these new gained powers, and he hoped his Lady might just choose the same spot for her first appearance. He hoped, he knew that maybe he was just a crazy boy who hoped he would see someone known, maybe they would even bond, but for now those were just his – sort of unrealistic – hopes.

With one final push, he reached the Eiffel Tower. Second floor, true, but it was something. But he couldn’t help but get curious. Could he get to the actual top? The tip of the antenna? His reason cried out loud: **YOU ARE GOING TO KILL YOURSELF** , but it was just like he wanted to try, for the sake of trying. He walked to the nearest pylon of the tower and clung himself to the metal. As soon as he felt that he wouldn’t slip, he started climbing it properly, getting closer and closer to the top. If people saw him, they would sure think he was crazy, but there was a sort of confidence in the way his hands and feet could easily adhere and hold onto the metal that made him sure he would get to that antenna in no time.

The moment he passed the Top level, he knew he was in for it for sure. If the antenna couldn’t electrocute him, everything would be fine.

He was now right at the base of the antenna and deciding whether or not he should climb it. He strolled around it, turning the problem on all its sides in his mind, when he heard the cry for help. _“HELP!”_ The only syllable he needed to get into action. Why was he feeling already good for action? It was instinctual, and it was a problem he would worry about later, after making sure the Lady in Red wouldn’t be a Lady in Red because of the blood spilling from her, but just because of her suit.

Chat quickly ran to the spot of the eventual landing – _right at the base of the antenna, this girl has balls_ \- and jumped on his baton, pushing it upwards and making it extend itself just a little, to make sure he would catch her. He opened his arms and took her body into his, feeling the fall coming fast. His back was now against the cold metal, and it hurt, but he knew it would go away a few minutes after the impact. For now, he had to breathe. After all, the fall did hit his back it was hard for him to inhale even a bit of air, but the fact that he had an actual person on him didn’t help.

After a few sharp breaths and a grunt of pain, he felt the weight reducing itself from a full person to only a half and he could breathe easily. He finally opened his eyes and inspected the suicidal swinger. A girl with jet black hair, tied up in two tails, with red ribbons flying from the ties, a skin tight red suit with black polka dots and a mask matching her appearance.

“I’m sorry…” he heard her whisper as he looked around, checking for a …

“YES!” he shouted excitedly. He spotted a gem, right on her left hip. Intricate gemstone, he had to say, for it looked like a red gem that had small spots that just hinted at the black of her spots.

* * *

 

“Wha…?” she looked up and didn’t know what to think. This guy could have been suffocating from the hit he had just got and yet, here he was, crying out loud, excited like a dog who just saw his master a week of being away. Who was this guy? After finally opening her eyes properly and checking her surroundings, she noticed she was still half on his body, so she extracted herself from his embrace and stood up.

“Woa, be careful there!” he said as he caught her, seeing how she would soon fall.

“You are quite the suicidal now, aren’t you?”

“Oh… I am not suicidal, just a tad crazy” she chuckled low, almost just to herself. She rubbed her eyes and finally looked at the boy standing in front of her. Blond, with the greenest eyes you could possibly see in your entire life, black ears – _black ears?_ – and the tightest leather suit possible on Earth. Not that her suit was the largest in the world, either, but she felt there was some indecency to his. It was impressive how well it hugged his muscles and torso and how well they stood out because of it. _Going off track, Mari…_

“My Lady, are you alright?” she heard his warm voice resonate in her ears.

“Mhm… Yes, I am quite well. Are you? You’re the one who caught the blow after all. You should be here crying for painkillers” she said with a small chuckle.

“Oh, don’t worry, I am just fine, it was nothing else than a small accident. Nothing to worry about.”

“Small accident? You’re the one who jumped at me to protect me, I’m the one who was about to hit the floor because I thought that swinging on a freaking yo-yo was a good idea to get up here!” she laughed.

“So that’s how you got here? Pretty suicidal to me, are you sure you don’t want to talk to somebody? I am a shoulder to cry on, trust me” he replied with a warm laugh of his own.

Ladybug was finally able to take him all in. Yes, he was tanned, and he was so sweet and familiar from the start. But why was this guy wearing a suit?

“So, might I just ask how did you get up here exactly, my dear…?” she asked, leaving the space for him to finally reveal his name.

“Oh! Yeah, sorry” he jumped and bowed to her. “My name is Chat Noir, at your service, _my Lady_.”

“Chat? I am Ladybug!” she replied quickly with an excited smile. She remembered that just a minute before she decided to transform the kwami had mentioned she had a partner that would represent her complete opposite, pure bad luck, but she didn’t reveal a name. All she knew was that he would be somehow a resemblance of a cat? And now she understood. He was an actual black cat, and what was purer than a black cat when it came to bad luck?

“Oh man… Are you my partner? Are you the Lady of Luck?” the black cat asked excitedly.

“Well, I think you are my partner, yes, if you are the Lord of Bad Luck, as you so poetically put it” she responded.

“Well, I am no lord, I am a simple stray cat, but you are a sight to be seen, Ladybug. You truly are a Lady, I have to say” he replied with a smirk.

“Didn’t know my partner would be a flirt” she said with a sigh.

“Why is with everyone today saying _didn’t know he would be somehow?_  You should hold hands with my kwami, he already complained about me like three times.”

“Oh, don’t worry, _chaton_ , it’s alright to be criticized.”

Chat opened his eyes wide as he heard the pet name. _She called me chaton? She’s so cute, and I’ve just met her._

“What?” Ladybug asked, being afraid that she might have said something wrong. “Don’t tell me you won’t want to talk to me now… Did I upset you?”

“No… my Lady, it’s just that… We’ve just met and you already called me by a pet name…”

“Did you unintentionally made a pun?” Ladybug raised an eyebrow.

“Wait, I did? Oh man! I am getting better and better!” Chat laughed.

“Oh no… And he has bad humor, I’m in for quite the catch” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, you saw nothing, my Lady.”

Ladybug had to say, just like he considered cute the pet name she gave him, being called _my Lady_ was one of the best things she could think of.

“Well, alright, kitty cat, let’s tone it down a little and have a real discussion. I am curious, I want to talk to you about our future.”

“Already wanting to propose, Ladybug? Didn’t know you wee so attracted to me from first sight” he replied with a smirk. 

Ladybug grunted. “Okay, sit down, lover boy.” 

He obeyed her command and sat down across from her, but still close so they could have a conversation without having to shout at each other. 

“So, what do you want to talk about?” Chat asked first. 

“Well, first, let’s just introduce ourselves properly. So I am Ladybug and I am a half-human gem. What about you, were you already a gem when you took this position?” 

“Ah, no, I am a half-human gem, just like you, and I became Chat today. As in, about half an hour ago, or an hour” he chuckled. 

“Oh! Just like me!” she smiled.

“Really?”

“Yeah! I found my Miraculous only today. Question, did you have a sort of accident as well in which The Treasure Box implanted the gem? Mine was quite the bomb, I had to say” she said, laughing at her own pun. She hoped he would catch her joke.

“Wait, were you in an explosion?” he asked quickly, a sense of familiarity coming to his mind.

“Well, yeah, kind of, really weird. Anyway, you didn’t reply to my question.” 

“Oh, well, yeah, I had this bracelet which just decided to explode and that’s how I got it. Look, fun fact is that my gem, and _don’t tell anyone about this_ , is on my right hand, but now, when I transformed, my gem somehow moved onto my back?”

“Oh my God, mine too! It was on the back of my neck, but it is now on my hip? I don’t know how these kwamis corrupt these gems, but they’re corrupting the hell out of them.”

“I know” he laughed. 

“So, what do you think we’ll have to do?” 

“So there’s akumas, right? We just have to destroy them, somehow.” 

“Alright, we’ll find out how, we have enough time to learn, right?” 

“Yeah. It’s nice to know I have a partner in this, at least I won’t have to figure out things alone” she smiled towards him and felt a sort of calm in her words. 

“Yeah, me too… So, do you think we’ll need to do anything else, besides actual akuma fighting?” he asked her. 

“Well, I am thinking now, maybe we could do patrols? Like, from time to time, to check on the activity on the town. Maybe it’s good to do that kind of stuff because if we feel how the citizens are, maybe we can predict how many akumas we might have in the next period, how do you feel about that?” 

“Spending time with a beautiful girl and running on roof tops, sounds _purrfect_ to me!” he grinned.

“Oh no, why did I propose this, bad idea, Ma- LADYBUG!” 

Chat’s eyes widened. She almost said her name. He now knew it started with a Ma. Maybe. He hoped. 

“One more question, Ladybug, will we keep our identities secret from each other?” he was curious. He wanted to know the girl under the mask. 

“Hmmm…” Marinette heard Tikki’s words echoing in her mind and decided on her reply. “Look, Chat, I think that for now we should keep our identities for ourselves. This bad guy could find out as well and threaten our families, friends. We don’t know what might happen and I think it’s best if we do that for now. I promise that one day I’ll tell you, but that day might be in the distant future rather than the near. I think it’s best that way. Alright, Chat?” 

Chat looked to the floor with a small pout, but nodded in approval. He took her words in and realized she was right. For the sake of safety, for now he would keep his mouth shut about it in front of her. But who was to say that he wouldn’t be looking for her in private? 

“You are thoughtful out of the sudden, don’t tell me you’re mad at me now.” 

“No! I would never, my Lady, I promise! I understand your motives and I think you’re right. But promise me I will find out one day.”

“One day, Chat, one day…” she looked at him with a sort of melancholic glance. 

“So… now we only just wait for an akuma to appear, right?” 

“Right… I think that’s about it. I think we should also establish when to go for patrols. Are you okay on Friday nights?” 

“Oh man, I finally can say I have actual Friday evening plans” he joked and she rolled her eyes jokingly.  “Yes, I think it’s just fine. Is eleven pm good for you?”

“I think so, I think I can sneak out easily at that hour.”

“Then it’s set” he smiled. 

“Alright then. I think I don’t have anything else to discuss. Now I think I have to get back before the police is looking for my civilian self” she laughed and got up.  “Be a good kitty, alright, Chat?” she smiled towards him. 

“Yes, my Lady. Have a wonderful day!” he replied with a warm smile. He extended his arms, waiting for a hug from her. She raised an eyebrow but decided that one could not hurt any of them. She moved towards him, hugged him back and slowly moved her hands in a sort of reassuring gesture to him. 

“Take care of your back, and please do not think just because you are a cat you have nine lives, alright, Chat?” she said raising her eyebrows once again.

“I’ll take care of myself for you, Ladybug” he smirked. 

“Ugh, what a flirt. See you around, Chat!” she chuckled before extending her yo-yo and letting herself fly away. Chat watched her go away and away before she was only a disappearing dot. 

_ What a Lady… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the positive comments, and thank you for reading this chapter as well!  
> Man, this story is progressing slowly. But I am planning now and deciding exactly how many chapters it will have. To be honest, this fic started as a decision of the moment, but now I am taking it serious and planning the chapters and how and when I will write them. Keep in mind that I still have a busy schedule.   
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> P.S. Don't forget about commenting if you have questions or suggestions, I am open to every idea. :D


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